I'll Always Pay
by bandgeek18
Summary: Roy is kidnapped from his school and held for ransom. Too bad he knows Oliver isn't going to pay. One-shot.


A/N: So this is a story I wrote a while ago. I've read quite a few stories where Dick is kidnapped and held hostage to get money from Bruce, but I've never seen it down with Roy, even though he's also the ward of a billionaire. So I thought I'd give it a try. Enjoy!

The ropes were too tight and the fact that Roy was in a closet didn't help the situation at all. He shifted again, wincing as his dislocated shoulder rubbed against the wall. There really was no way to avoid it, seeing as how all three walls of the tiny space crowded his body. Sighing in defeat, he rested his head on the back wall. 'How long has it been?' he wondered. 'Is the time up yet?' 12 hours. That was what they had said. When the deranged, masked lunatics had dragged him from the closet, put him in front of a video camera, and given him a card to read…

(Roy's hands shook as he held the index card. He may have been untied, but the five guns all within a foot of his head didn't make him feel any better.

"Read it, Kid," one of the men grunted. "Or else."

"D-Dear Mr. Queen. We have your son. You will give us $200,000 dollars, or we will leave pieces of him all over Star City for you and the cops to find. Until we have the money, no police, and no vigilantes, or he dies. You have 12 hours. Follow all the instructions on the note and the kid lives.")

Roy had absolutely no idea if the 12 hours had passed yet. He'd been trapped in this closet for a while, so long that he'd long ago lost feeling in his legs, so he was willing to bet it was getting close. I was un-believe what these guys were up to. $200,000 dollars?! Were they crazy? Well…yes. He had a sprained ankle and broken ribs to remind him of that fact. But the absurdity of their plan was beyond him. Hold him ransom? Why? He definitely wasn't Oliver's son, no matter what these guys thought. He'd only been living with the billionaire for a few months. Which was why this plan of theirs wasn't going to work. Oliver wasn't paying the ransom. Roy knew it deep in his gut.

Why would he? Yeah, he'd taken enough pity on Roy to give him a home, but that was it. They barely knew each other. Roy was nothing to Oliver. There was no way the man would pay to get him back. Roy closed his eyes. It would all be over soon. The men wouldn't get their money, and then they'd kill him. It would all be over. He tried to focus on positive things, but when facing certain death, positivity wasn't something that came easily. His labored breathing gave him something else to focus on. God, it would almost be a relief when they shot him, just so he didn't have to deal with his pain anymore. At least he hoped they'd shoot him. He didn't want them to just leave him to starve to death in this closet. That'd be very long and painful. At least by getting shot, he'd be dead faster. Very little pain.

Roy knew it wasn't a good sign for his mental stability if he was weighing the pros of one death versus another, but when faced with your own demise, what else could you do? If he faced the fact now, it would be easier to deal with when the time came. At least he wasn't leaving anyone behind, unlike certain people who'd died previously in his life. No family, no friends, nothing of importance. Except for his bow of course. Oliver would probably keep it. Roy wondered what would happen to the rest of his stuff. Oliver would probably get rid of it. The clothes he'd bought Roy, the books, and video games, even the two new compound bows, would all end up in a donation box or a dumpster. After all, why keep the belongings of a kid who brought you nothing but trouble?

Roy closed his eyes. 'Maybe they'll do it while I'm asleep. That way i don't have to know it's happening…'

— —

It wasn't the sound of the closet door opening that woke Roy up. Or the horrified gasp at the sight of his torn school uniform and the fact that he was tied and gagged. It was someone saying his name.

"Roy. Roy. Roy wake up buddy. Come on, wake up." Roy frowned. He knew that voice. It wasn't one of his kidnappers. "Roy wake up. Come on." It sounded like…Oliver. But no, that was impossible. Oliver wasn't here. He wasn't coming. He wasn't going to pay the ransom. "Roy wake up! Please..." The gentle hand that suddenly settled on his cheek and started patting him was what really convinced him to open his eyes. He blinked in surprise when he saw Oliver crouching over him. As soon as his eyes were open, Oliver's flood with relief. "Oh thank God, you woke up. I'm going to move you of the closet now. Hang on." Before Roy could really process what was going on, strong arms were suddenly lifting him up and carrying him up. Soon he was laying on his side on a dirty floor; still in the same fetal position he'd maintained in the closet. His muscles were too stiff for him to try and move though. Oliver leaned over him and gently untied the gag and pulled the wad of cloth from his mouth. "It's ok, Roy. It's alright. The police are on their way."

Roy licked his lips. When was the last time he'd had a drink? "Oliver?" he croaked out.

"It's me, Buddy," Oliver said as he untied Roy's hands and legs. "Roy, I am so, so sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am. I should've sent someone to get you at a school. I should've guessed something like this would happen. It won't happen again though, I promise." He finished and noticed that Roy was staring at him and not saying anything. "Roy, are you ok?"

"You…you came…"

"What? Of course, I did."

"If I'm alive then that means….you paid the ransom?"

"Of course it does. Don't worry, 200 grand is nothing for me. It's still a good thing they gave me 12 hours or-"

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why did you pay the ransom?'

"Why? Because if I didn't they would've killed you."

"But why would you pay so much to get me back? I'm not your son. I'm just….me."

"First of all, you're not just Roy. You're my Roy. Second, it doesn't matter that you aren't my son. You're my ward. My responsibility. It's my job to look after you. And I wouldn't have chosen to do so if I didn't like you at least a little bit." He stopped as something horrible donned on him. "Wait…you didn't-did you think I wouldn't pay?" Roy nodded. "On no….no Roy… Of course, I was going to pay. I was so worried about you. I-I was so afraid something would happen because-" He sighed. "Listen, I will do everything I can to keep this from happening again, but if it does…. Believe me, that if I can't free you, I will always pay. No matter the price, I will give them every penny, because none of it matters as much as you do."

Roy swallowed. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Promise?"

Oliver sat down on the floor next to him and cradled the red-haired head in his lap as gently as possible. He could hear the police sirens approaching and he relaxed for the first time in 12 hours. "I promise."


End file.
